


Today Is Yesterday's Latter Day

by Curnin_Orzabal



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, a little fluff at the end, mcpriceley, medical drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 03:28:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4813256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Curnin_Orzabal/pseuds/Curnin_Orzabal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kevin has a medical emergency, which hits Connor hard about how much they mean to each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Today Is Yesterday's Latter Day

**Author's Note:**

> Warning/rated for one mention of a homophobic slur. The doctor and Connor's sister are mine, and every other character belongs to Parker, Stone and Lopez.

Connor thought that hell dreams and murderous African warlords had scared him, but seeing Kevin in pain was in another league altogether.  
Kevin doubled over; Kevin's face contorted in agony; Kevin's voice, normally so sweet and melodious, reduced to heartbreaking moans and cries.

When the ambulance came, Connor climbed in, vowing never to leave Kevin's side no matter what. Not even if the red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked face would haunt his imagination for years to come. Only the point where their hands were joined was reassuring. That grip was strong as ever, as if Kevin were focusing all his remaining energy on that one spot.  
The paramedics had them let go in order to get vital signs and inject a dose of painkiller. Kevin's face relaxed somewhat, but still had this haunted and defenseless look that tore right at Connor's heart.  
"Con..." he managed to whisper. "Don't leave me..."

Not a trace of the preening, arrogant missionary Connor had first met years ago.  
_I want you better_ , he thought, squeezing Kevin's hand in response. _I want the shine back in your hair, I want the smile back on your face._

*~*~*~*

In the emergency room, Kevin was finally separated from Connor; who saw a tech running right behind the gurney with a machine he recognized as an ultrasound scanner. He had seen his mother use one many times at her imaging clinic.  
Twenty minutes later, the doctor approached him. "Are you a relative?"

"I'm his b--" then as Connor thought better of it, "I'm his fiancé. Connor McKinley. So, what's happening?"

"Mr. McKinley, he's got appendicitis," said the doctor. "I'm glad you called for an ambulance instead of driving him yourself." 

"Ah..." Connor ran his fingers through his hair. 

"When did he start feeling ill?"

"Um... yesterday. He went to bed with a stomachache and he seemed a little warm. Then he got up in the middle of the night and threw up a few times. And he just kept getting worse and worse..."

"Sounds like pretty classic symptoms," said the doctor. "Anyway, we got a good look at it on ultrasound, and it's badly inflamed, though I've seen worse. But we need to go to surgery right away."

"Surgery? Um... how long will it take?"

"Not too long. If it's uncomplicated, we usually get done in an hour. And of course, we need to keep the patient here overnight to watch their recovery."

Connor swallowed before then saying, "And if it's _complicated?_ "

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said the doctor. "So far, it's not; which is a good sign. Does Mr. Price have any--"

"Kevin," interrupted Connor.

"Kevin. Does Kevin have any pre-existing illnesses or conditions?"

"Not as far as I know."

"That's another good sign, then; that he's young and healthy." The doctor paused before saying, "We really need to get started, Mr. McKinley. Does he have any relatives close by?"

"Ummm..." Connor ran his fingers through his hair again. "They're all out of state, back in Utah."

"I would take the time now to contact them and let them know of Kevin's condition. Now, you're not yet married; so you'd not be the one to sign the consent form."

"Who would do that?"

"Kevin would. We give him an explanation of what the surgery involves, and then have him sign the form."

"... Isn't he in too much pain to do that?"

"Not too much to give a signature."

"Okay, Doctor," said Connor. He swallowed. "I just hope he's going to be all right."

"His chances are excellent. He's young and strong with great vitals. Go ahead and contact his family. I'll talk to you again once he's in recovery." And with that, the doctor turned and walked away.

*~*~*~*

Connor hesitated before dialing the number. He hadn't in several years-- not since right after they'd come back from Uganda, and Kevin breaking the news of their relationship to his parents had gone less optimally than they'd hoped. He hadn't caught every detail of the conversation, but what he did hear-- snippets of "disappointed", "how could you", and "we did NOT raise you like this" told him all he needed to know.  
And so he and Kevin had moved to a state where same-sex relationships were more accepted, and settled in quite happily to new jobs and a new circle of friends. They had put the worst of their life behind them, and started fresh.  
And now, Connor had to revisit those old, painful memories again. It was the only right thing to do. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself before touching the numbers on his keypad. _One ring....two... three..._ The voicemail picked up after the fourth ring, and after listening to the overly cheerful message from "The Price Family", Connor left a concise message saying Kevin was in surgery having his appendix out, and what hospital he was staying at, and to please call back. _Just the facts, and nothing else._  
He didn't expect a call back. Not right away, anyway. After all, it was only Kevin's body that was in danger... not something important, like his soul. Connor chuckled bitterly to himself as he stuck the phone back in his pocket. 

He mulled over whether to call his own parents, but then decided to call his sister instead. Meagan had always been more understanding. But she'd be in class right now. So he dashed her off a quick text message summarizing what was going on, and then put the phone away for good. There was nothing to do now but wait.  
And, because he still had the urge in him, to pray.

_Heavenly Father, I know it's been a while, but I think you can see, I've been a good person... even with *that* one fairly big thing. First of all, I want to thank you for my not having hell dreams anymore... except for rare occasions. Like this one, I'm afraid. Because Kevin is very sick. He's having emergency surgery right now, and he's been a good person too, Heavenly Father.  
I know that our parents and us have not talked much since we came out and left the Church. And I know at this point, it's a little much to ask their forgiveness. So all I ask right now, is that Kevin gets better. That he gets back to his old self quickly. You should see him, Heavenly Father... he's not at all the way he should be. He's horribly pale, his hair doesn't shine anymore... just, please, see him through this and let him have a speedy recovery. That would mean everything to me. Please. And thank you._

Connor leaned over on the couch and felt his eyelids getting heavy. Even though the evening sun shone through the windows, he was still exhausted. Finding a newspaper to shield his eyes from the glare, he stretched out on the couch for a nap.

*~*~*~*

A short time later, his phone awakened him, ringing and vibrating at the same time. Meagan had texted him back.  
_Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I hope Kevin gets better soon. I know appendicitis can be really painful. Glad the doctors are taking care of him._

And Connor texted back: _Yes, he's still in surgery now. They'll talk to me after it's over._

There was a pause before she responded: _I'm glad Kevin has you there with him._

Connor felt a tear in his eye. _You saying that means a lot to me. Thank you._  
_You're welcome._  
_Are you still in class?_  
_Yes, for another hour and a half. In the bathroom now._  
_I'll call you as soon as Kevin's out of surgery._  
_Pls do. Thx!_

Connor then checked his voicemail messages. Still nothing from Kevin's parents. He felt a hot, quick flame of anger deep inside. _What kind of family are you?_ Then, a terrifying thought occurred to him. _What if this had happened in Uganda? Kevin might have died! Not that Gotswana wasn't a good doctor, but he wasn't a surgeon... and he had AIDS... and wasn't able to cure his own scrotum-maggot problem..._

He wished they weren't so far away from their old friends. Arnold, Naba, Poptarts... they all lived in different states; and while Connor and Kevin had their new friends, some matters were best left up to old ones. Friends whom they had once spent a long, intense time with, and had a _history_ with ...

Connor had just left a message on Arnold and Naba's voicemail, and was about to dial Poptarts when he saw the doctor coming towards him. He had an energetic step and hints of a smile around his eyes and lips, which was a good sign and lifted Connor's spirits.  
"Mr. McKinley? The appendectomy went off without a hitch," he said; and Connor released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Kevin's recovering very strongly. You can see him in about fifteen minutes, when we wheel him into his own room."

"Oh, thank God!" said Connor. "He's going to be all right!"

Connor then walked off to the cafeteria to get a drink, his step noticeably lighter. _Kevin is fine. He's going to get better. Thank you, Heavenly Father, thank you so much._ He snuffled, and then wiped tears he hadn't known were in his eyes.

*~*~*~*

Kevin remained unconscious for some time after Connor joined him in the hospital room. The brunette's hair was still dulled, his face still abnormally pale; but his chest rose and fell steadily with deep breaths and his mouth was a healthy rose color. Connor glanced at the thin plastic hospital bracelet and the IV drip, and suddenly remembered.  
"Hey, his parents never called me," he said to the attendant nurse.

"I think they called the hospital directly," said the nurse. 

Just then, the doctor came back. "Well, we just spoke to Kevin's parents," he said. "We let them know his surgery went well." The doctor then looked at Connor strangely... and, he thought, a little sadly. "They didn't sound too pleased when we mentioned you and Kevin were engaged."

Connor took a deep breath before saying, "They've never approved of us being together. They're big-time Mormons. You know how they are."

"You're lucky this is a state which allows same-sex marriage, otherwise you probably wouldn't be allowed to see him."

"I know," said Connor. "All our friends and family are out of state. I'm all Kevin's got around here. And he's all I've got." He squeezed Kevin's hand.

"We still want to keep him here overnight for observation."

"I can handle that."

"I'm going to go ahead and see my next patient now, but I'll be back to check on you."

"Thank you," said Connor as the doctor walked away. He pulled out his phone, dialed Meagan's number, and was relieved when he actually reached his sister instead of her voicemail. He let her know everything was going to be all right, then asked, in passing, if she would pass the news along to their parents. She agreed.  
_At least I know my parents are more likely to take it well when they hear that I'm being there for Kevin when he needs me, being a real supporter. But Kevin's parents? ...  
... What kind of parents are they? The kind who think if you just say, "get out of my life", and not "get out of my life, faggot," then everything's all right._

Now in a dark mood, Connor needed to cheer up; and he knew just the person to do it. He dialed Poptarts, who immediately picked up. After Connor gave him the news of Kevin's surgery and how it went well, they started talking about the old days. Uganda, BYU, the summer after graduation when they had acted in the Provo production of _Kiss Me, Kate_. They'd had no way of knowing that would be their last summer together for a while. Connor said how much he missed him and the others, and then offered to have Poptarts come and move in with him and Kevin; but his friend declined.

"If Poptarts moves in with us... really cramp our style," croaked a voice from the bed.

Connor's attention snapped to his boyfriend. Kevin's eyes were heavy and sleepy from the anesthetic, but the corners of his mouth were pulling up into a smile. "Three men in a studio apartment... sharing one bathroom... it's a scandal, I tell ya. A scandal." 

"He's awake!" hissed Connor into the phone, before holding it up to Kevin's ear. "Say hi to Poptarts."

"Hi, Poptarts." said Kevin raspily.

"Hi, Kevin!" answered Poptarts. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck. And given a lot of drugs."

"That's 'cause you _have_ been given a lot of drugs," said Connor, sticking his tongue out. "And how long have you been listening in to our conversation?"

"Longer than you think," said Kevin, smirk deepening.

Connor took the phone back and said to Poptarts, "As you can see, he did _not_ have surgery to remove his brattiness. I've gotta let you go, but thanks for being there when I called. I've gotten nothing but voicemail for most of today. I still haven't heard back from Arnold and Naba."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Poptarts. "Keep trying them. Anyway, I'm so glad Kevin's all right. And it was really good talking to you. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. Well, take care." 

Connor hung up and immediately pulled his chair closer to Kevin's bedside. There was a sparkle in the beautiful brown eyes, and Connor almost cried with relief.  
"I was so worried about you. Glad you're OK."

"Thanks for not leaving me," said Kevin, smiling and druggedly. He reached out to grasp the redhead's hand. Then he leaned in very close to whisper in Connor's ear. "We're not really engaged, you know."

"I know. I just said that to make sure I could get in to see you." Connor looked around to make sure no one was listening. "But while we're at it..." He fumbled around for something, anything he could use. Finally, he found his nearly-empty bottle of Coke, opened it, and after some difficulty pulled off the red plastic ring at the base of the cap.

"Now, I know this is the worst possible place to do this," said Connor, getting down on one knee at the side of the bed. "But all this has really hit me hard, how much you mean to me." He squeezed Kevin's hand tighter as he said, "I was scared to death. I feel like I almost lost you."

"You'll never lose me," said Kevin, gaze strong and clear. 

"So..." Connor swallowed. "Kevin Price, will you marry me?" And he slipped the red plastic soda ring on Kevin's finger.

"That scratches," said Kevin.

"It's all I have at the moment. I'll get you a proper ring later. So, will you?"

Kevin didn't hesitate. "Yes, Connor McKinley. I will marry you!"

And Connor gave a great shout of joy, covering Kevin's face with kisses.

 

**_THE END_ **


End file.
